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Adopted Children Grow Up As Happy, Healthy Individuals: An Overview

There has been extensive research in the United States about adopted children and the families that takes them in. The vast majority of these children are happy and healthy in terms of both social and emotional well-being and they grow up to be content, successful adults. As much as 85 percent of adopted children are in good health and children age 6 and older also show positive social behaviors.

Adopted children have a number of benefits that are not as prevalent among the general population. Children who were adopted are more likely to have health insurance and live in households above the poverty line. Adopted children are also more likely to be read to and sung to on a daily basis, participate in extracurricular activities and perform above average in the areas of math, language arts, and reading. It is also interesting to note that more than two thirds of adopted children live with married parents, which is almost the same as biological children who live with married parents.

More and more families are becoming comfortable with the notion of open adoptions. Approximately two thirds of all families who adopt have pre-adoption and/or post-adoption meetings with the birth family. Nearly all children age 5 and older (97 percent) know that they are adopted. Children in open adoptions maintain access to medical, family and genealogical histories. They also have a better grasp over the concept of adoption and are generally more open about the topic with their adoptive parents.

Open and partially open adoptions come with a number of benefits for children including personal information and physical touchstones that are keys to identity formation. The ability to come to terms with their adoption, positive feelings towards birth parents and an appreciation for a supportive adult relationship is one of the many added advantages of adoption.

Laurie Colton is the owner of A Is 4 Adoption, which is a licensed and bonded California based adoption facilitation center. Laurie and her dedicated staff are committed to answering all of your questions and concerns for the baby adoption process. She believes in providing all the necessary support to adoptive parents so that they make an informed decision and easy transition. She endeavors so that no parent will ever face the same pitfalls that she did while adopting her daughter.